Empty Halls
by Moon-Raver
Summary: COMPLETE! SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing. There will be no shipper, no slash and no romance in this story. Just Stargate action!
1. Empty Halls

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

OK, this little story is going to be a challenge. I hope you enjoy it. This is an idea I've often though about and finally found a way to make it work. _(Grins evily)_ Enjoy!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

_**Empty Halls**_

Colonel Jack O'Neill stepped through the Stargate to finish his most recent mission. SG-1 had been sent to a new planet as usual and the mission had gone about as well as a mission could for SG-1. They'd arrived, scared the locals senseless, explained themselves and the fact they were not gods, and then they sat down and had a meal. All in all the mission had went pretty well, except for the strange tradition that resulted in Colonel O'Neill being chased around the dinner table by a short man in a clown suit who had a very large baseball bat. O'Neill had decided he wouldn't join them for dinner again. Everyone else had had their fair share of trouble, Sam got hit on by some old men, Teal'c scared a bunch of school children and Daniel... well... Daniel fell down a hole, actually, a mine shaft. Luckily it was a short mine shaft and Daniel came out of the hole safely, albeit very dirty.

So now, SG-1 was heading home to proclaim the good news of the deal they struck to trade food stocks for a decent amount of raw Trinium. Overall everyone was pretty happy as they waved goodbye to the inhabitants of whatever randomized letter and number code this planet had been given. SG-1 stepped through the gate and after a whoosh and a chilly breeze they were home.

They exited the wormhole and found themselves exactly where they expected to be; the Stargate Command Gate Room, only something was a little odd. O'Neill was surprised to see that the usual small contingent of airmen who cluttered the gate room was absent. More surprising however, was the fact that the lights were out and the gate room was being lit by the emergency lights.

"Auntie Em? Auntie Em?" After a brief pause the colonel continued. "Where's the welcoming committee?" The colonel asked aloud to no one in particular. SG-1 proceeded to walk down the ramp and when they stepped onto the concrete floor they saw a great deal of spent shell casings littering the ground.

"Sir?"

"I see them, Carter."

"Firefight?"

"Well that would explain the bullet holes in the walls." Daniel chimed in.

"Alright team, check your gear. We don't know what we're dealing with here. We need some answers. We'll head to the control room and see if we can find anybody. If not, we'll use it as our base of operations." O'Neill said when he noticed the blast doors were closed. "Stay alert. Carter, take point."

The group made their way to the control room. The base was dark and silent. It was an eerie silence because it was something never heard in this base. Even when no one was on duty, there was still the constant hum of machinery, like the ventilation system, but now nothing was active. They walked the short distance to their destination and found it too was in a state of slight disarray; chairs were overturned, papers were scattered about and all the computers were turned off. Carter tried booting up a computer, but the 'on' button just clicked and the computer stayed off.

"Main power must be offline." She explained.

Colonel O'Neill was still scanning the room. His eyes finally stopped on a coffee cup sitting on the far ledge on top of a piece of paper. He approached the cup and grasped it gently.

"It's still warm." He declared then moved the cup to retrieve the paper. As his commanding officer attempted to read the chicken scratch on the page, Daniel quickly scanned the room. When he was sure the rest of his team was occupied he quickly snagged the coffee cup and downed the contents in one swig. Then he returned the cup to its original position just as quickly. He now felt much better. He'd been craving that cup of coffee since Jack had pulled him out of the mine shaft. And besides, now he'd be able to tackle the problem at hand.

"I can't read it. Daniel?" The colonel said and passed the coffee stained sheet of paper to the resident linguist. Daniel was caught slightly off guard, thinking the colonel had seen his previous actions, but when he realized the colonel was holding the paper out to him, he took it and attempted to read it.

"This is the worst writing I have ever seen. I can't make heads or tails of it." Daniel finally replied.

"Let me see it." Carter reached out and took the page from Daniel. "I can't read it either sir. But this here," she pointed to a few darker-than-coffee stains, "appears to be blood."

"This is someone's idea of a practical joke, right?" Daniel said now that his caffeine levels were sufficiently high, he could think again.

"There is nothing neither practical nor humorous about this situation Daniel Jackson." Teal'c added from his vantage point in the corner.

Colonel O'Neill looked around the room again then spoke. "So... where is everybody?"

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	2. Security Station Alpha

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

You guys seemed to enjoy the first chapter... I'm glad! Here's some more... Enjoy.

Oh by the way, there will be no shipper, no slash and no romance in this story. Just hardcore Stargate action!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Security Station Alpha_**

"OK, so what now?" Daniel said. This situation was getting spookier by the second.

"Calm down Danny-boy. Carter, can we use the intercoms?"

"No sir. Everything is offline except the emergency lights and it seems only half of those are functional."

"Can you get main power back?"

"No sir, not from here. It seems the power was cut manually, therefore I need to go down to the main control room and see where the problem is."

"Let's try the radios. Sierra Gulf One to any Stargate Command personnel, do you copy? Over." Very faint radio static filled the air. The colonel tried again. "Is there anyone out there? Over." No response.

"OK, this is what we're gonna do. Carter, you and Teal'c head down to the main control room and find the problem. Daniel and I are gonna scout around for any signs of life. Keep your radios on and watch your backs." With that the group of four split up. Colonel O'Neill decided to head to the briefing room first. He and Daniel climbed the spiral staircase and found the room was in perfect order. All the papers on the table were in neat little piles, the chairs were tucked in and a jug of coffee and cups stood in the center of the table. O'Neill approached the coffee and felt the jug, the coffee was ice cold.

"This is very weird." Daniel broke the silence. The two men then went to the window and looked down into the gate room. From up here they saw the full extent of the damage. O'Neill decided it would take more than a new coat of paint to fix this mess. Siler would be busy over the next few weeks.

"Com'on Daniel, let's head to the infirmary." The two made their way through the dark halls. Halfway to the infirmary they had to turn their flashlights on to navigate the total darkness of many of the corridors. When they reached the infirmary they were shocked at what they saw.

"Someone made a stand here." The colonel explained as he took in the sights around him. The beds had been flipped onto their sides to act as barriers that faced the doorways. The whole center of the room was clear except for the massive weapons cache that included, strangely enough, a rocket launcher.

"Is that what I think it is?" Daniel asked pointing to the rocket launcher.

"Yep."

"Isn't it suicide to use that in this closed space?"

"Yep, someone must've been desperate." They entered the center of the room and grabbed some extra ammo. From their new position they could see more shell casings littering the floor as well as some small puddles of blood and a bit of blood splatter on the walls.

"Carter." The colonel spoke into his radio. "How's it coming?"

Carter and Teal'c had made their way to the main control room and now stood looking at the mangled mess of wires on the walls of the room.

"Colonel, this room's a mess; it looks like someone took a chainsaw to the main power circuitry." Came the reply over the radio.

"Any chance of fixing it?"

"Negative sir."

"Understood. Carter, let's meet in security station alpha."

"Understood sir. Carter out."

"Come on, Daniel, let's meet Carter."

The colonel and Daniel were the first to reach the security room. O'Neill tried the door handle. It was locked. He swiped his security card but the panel was dead. So he lowered his P-90, took a few steps away from the door and prepared to ram it.

"Jack that might not be-"

"I know what I'm doing Daniel." O'Neill took a running start and rammed the door with his right shoulder. The door didn't budge and O'Neill quickly grabbed for his shoulder. Daniel went to speak. "Say it and I'll make sure the coffee in next month's food requisition is 'forgotten'." Daniel quickly closed his mouth. Just then Carter and Teal'c arrived.

"We heard a bang." Carter said.

"O'Neill, you are injured."

"Nope, just my pride. The door is locked, maybe barricaded from the inside. We can't get in."

Carter moved closer and examined the door with her flashlight. "Sir, these are stress fractures. Whatever tried to get in must've been strong."

O'Neill decided to take credit for that and smirked at Daniel. "So how do we get in, a directional charge?"

Carter scanned the door a few seconds longer. "Teal'c, push here." She said and pointed to a section at waist level. Teal'c complied and a few seconds later the door buckled and then gave way.

"Looks like security is gonna need a new door." O'Neill quipped.

"OK, so this door was locked from the inside, right?" Daniel asked.

"Yep."

"So, where's the guy who locked it?"

SG-1 scanned the room. It was in disarray like most of the others. It looked like someone had made a stand here as well, albeit a very short one. A desk was overturned and there were three P-90 magazines behind it. Carter quickly scooped them up. Other then SG-1, there was no one in the room.

"So, where'd he go? He didn't just disappear, right?" The rest of SG-1 just looked toward their commanding officer. They were starting to wonder if maybe he had disappeared. It sure would explain things.

SG-1 stood in security station alpha and quickly went over what they knew. They exchanged information. Carter explained just how mangled the main power circuitry was (Siler'd be at it for days) and O'Neill told Carter and Teal'c about the weapons cache in the infirmary. They were about to decide what to do next when a noise from behind them caused them to fall silent. They listened for a second and discovered the source of the sound. At the back of the room there was a cabinet that was used to store weaponry. It had been tilted over so it now stood on an angle with only one bottom corner on the floor and one top corner against the wall. SG-1 moved the cabinet and found a door behind it that led to a closet. Colonel O'Neill gave some hand signals and everyone prepared for the opening of the door. The colonel knelt down, and then flung open the door and shone his flashlight inside only to see that he was looking down the barrel of a gun.

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Please Review! Especially if you're enjoying this story!


	3. Backup Generator

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

I would like to thank every person out there who has reviewed! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! It seems you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it... he he he... so much mystery. I'm glad you like it. A special thanks to Kat, I take great pride in my writing and I hope to make as few mistakes as possible. Thank you for noticing. . Anyway, enough of that... read on! And Enjoy!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Backup Generator_**

Sitting on the floor inside the closet was an airman. With his left hand he was hugging his knees up to his chest and with his right he held a gun to the colonel's head. Then the airmen pulled the trigger. A click echoed through the quiet room. Followed by two more before the airmen realized he had no ammo. So he wrapped his hand that held the gun around his knees and began rocking himself back and forth.

SG-1 looked at each other in shock and disbelief. Things just got weirder and weirder. Colonel O'Neill decided to talk to the man.

"Airman." He tried to get his attention, but the airman just stared forward into the wall and moved his lips like he was mumbling. The colonel looked and saw a name tag. "O'Malley." The airman twitched in response. "O'Malley what's going on here?"

"...Valley of death ...I shall fear no evil..."

"O'Malley! Get a hold of yourself! What happened?" O'Neill shouted as he shook the airman to try and bring him out of his insane state.

"I saw the Pale Horse... and its rider." Then he laughed. The airmen let out the laugh of a maniac, one who'd lost all ties to reality.

"What's he talking about?" O'Neill asked his team.

"I believe he is referring to the book of Revelations from the Christian bible." Teal'c answered. "The passage states 'I looked and saw a Pale horse, its rider's name was Death and hell followed close behind'."

"Thanks Teal'c. That really clears things up." The colonel said sarcastically.

"Well maybe it does sir."

"How Carter?"

"Well, O'Malley is Catholic. The book of Revelations is also known as Apocalypse. If O'Malley thought he was going to die, that might come to his mind."

"Carter, he's insane. Did you hear that laugh? He's a loon!"

"Sir, O'Malley was tough. If whatever we're dealing with did that to him, things might be worse than we thought."

"So what are we dealing with?"

"The Pale Horse... the Pale Horse..." O'Malley kept whispering to himself.

"Well, according to O'Malley, we're dealing with Death."

SG-1 stood in the security room a few minutes longer before deciding on what to do.

"OK team, we're gonna head out and see if we can find anyone else. If O'Malley got left behind, maybe someone else did."

"What are we going to do with O'Malley?" Daniel asked, genuinely concerned.

"Well, we can't take him with us. He was safe here, so we'll leave him here."

"So... where do we head Jack?"

"Carter, doesn't this base have a backup power generator?"

"Yes sir."

"So why isn't it on?"

"I don't know sir."

"How do we turn it on?"

"We'd have to go to the generator that's two levels up."

"Carter, structurally speaking, if the base was overrun, what floor would the SGC personnel evacuate to in order to mount a defence?"

"Well sir, they would probably go up. To prevent whatever it was that got into the base from reaching the surface."

"Understood. We're gonna do a floor by floor sweep working our way to the surface. We'll check the power generator on the way and hopefully restore some main power."

"Umm... Jack."

"Yes Daniel?"

"What if we don't find anyone?"

"Daniel, people don't just disappear. They're probably just mounting a defence. Now come on, let's go."

SG-1 did a thorough sweep of the floor they were on and found no one so they continued their search one floor up. The floor they were now one was totally dark. None of the emergency lights were active so the only light that could be seen was the light from their flashlights. The team wandered the halls, searching for anyone or anything that could provide them with answers.

"Olly olly oxen free!" O'Neill suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, startling Daniel and Carter. His two team mates gave him a dirty look. With an innocent smile he replied, "It was worth a try."

The team had almost finished searching the floor when Daniel turned around and shone his flashlight wildly behind the group.

"What was that?' He whispered loudly. Then frantically searched for what he had seen.

"What'd you see Daniel?" O'Neill asked as he shone his flashlight in the same location.

"I don't know, but it shot across the hallway."

"Teal'c, with me." O'Neill and Teal'c slowly approached the end of the corridor, then, on the count of three, sprang around the corner to see nothing but a normal, yet very dark hallway. The two then returned to the others. "You sure it wasn't just your imagination Danny-boy?"

"I know what I saw Jack. Something was there."

"Well, it's not now. Let's keep going, we're almost at the power generator."

The group continued in silence. They reached the next floor and Carter led the way to the backup generator. They reached the room to find the door was missing. They entered the room expecting to see something weird and they were not disappointed.

"Carter?"

"Yes sir?"

"This is the generator room, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Then where's the generator?" The team looked into the room to find small bits of machinery littering the floor. Those small bits were the only machinery in the room. The generator itself was nowhere in sight. It appeared as though the backup generator had been literally torn out of the room.

"This is like a bad horror movie." Daniel said as he stared at the mess in front of him.

"OK, looks like we aren't getting main power back anytime soon. Com'on, let's keep moving." The team finally managed to tear their eyes away from the mangled room and continued on. They came across the on-base recreation and training center and went inside. They scanned the vast room and then turned to leave when Daniel spoke up again.

"There! Right there! No, there!" He was shining his flashlight wildly around the room.

"What is it this time Daniel?" O'Neill turned around to look at his friend when he was suddenly struck from behind and knocked down. He tried to see his attacker, but he had a flashlight shining right into his eyes. He tried to fight off his attacker but he suddenly felt the unmistakable feeling of the barrel of a gun under his chin, so he stopped fighting.

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	4. Freaky Things

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

Sorry to be long winded here, but I wanna say stuff. I want to take a second to respond to the reviews. First of all, yes I do have a thing for cliffhangers... they make you guys want to come back and I think they work very well in this story. Next a response to the review of BenRG, SG-1/Doom? Very original... but no and I would like to say that I can't really provide any more description because... well... it's dark! Do you have any idea how dark it would be underground with no lights at all? That's what I'm trying to show... it's THAT dark! Anyway... on to Chapter four!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Freaky Things_**

"Colonel O'Neill?" The attacker gasped. "Is it really you?" The rest of SG-1 had their weapons trained on the attacker.

"Of course, who'd you expect, the Easter Bunny?" The colonel answered. He was getting frustrated with everybody pointing guns at him today.

"Sir!" The attacker got off the colonel and stood up quickly and saluted. "Lieutenant Alex Stonewall , SG-13, sir."

The colonel stood up and looked at Stonewall with the sternest look he could muster. "Lieutenant! What is going on here?" He shouted at the young officer.

"Not here sir, it's too dangerous. Let's head to the change rooms." Stonewall quickly turned on his heels and bolted off to the change rooms. When SG-1 entered the change room they were immediately greeted by the light from a portable lantern. Inside they found Lt. Stonewall kneeling beside another officer who was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

"Colonel O'Neill." The sitting officer said when SG-1 entered the room.

"Major Spencer, what's going on here?" O'Neill asked. Spencer began coughing uncontrollably and couldn't respond.

"I'll field that question sir. Sorry colonel, but we don't really know either. SG-13 returned from our mission about ten hours ago. We came up here to get changed because the gate level change rooms were out of commission due to the toxic spores SG-3 brought back a week ago. Just as the four of us got up here we heard the 'off-world activation' alarms. About ten minutes later the power went out. Walker and Gardner were the first changed so they went to take a look... They never came back. The major and I went out about half an hour after them and we couldn't find anyone on this floor. We were looking around when some shadow thing attacked us. We didn't even see it coming. It thrashed the major pretty hard in the ribs. I fired my gun but it didn't even phase it. Then I heard some shots in the distance and the thing left. I brought the major back here and grabbed some supplies and we've been waiting it out."

"We just got back a few minutes ago." Daniel added.

"Did you find anyone else?" Major Spencer asked.

"Only O'Malley; he was in rough shape." O'Neill replied.

"Where was he?" The major asked again.

"Security station alpha."

"OK." Spencer began to stand up. "Stonewall and I will head to O'Malley, if you guys find anyone else, send them our way. We'll set up a base there."

"Spencer, can you make it?" Carter asked.

"It's only two floors down right? We'll make it. Stonewall! Gather up whatever's useful. Good luck SG-1."

"Colonel, be careful. We saw things out there." Stonewall said, fear seeping into his voice.

"What kinda things?" Daniel asked.

"Freaky things... I can't explain them. Just watch yourselves." With that, Spencer and Stonewall headed one way and SG-1 headed the other way.

"You think they'll be alright?" Daniel asked.

"We already scouted that floor Daniel, they'll be fine." Carter answered.

SG-1 ascended another floor. The next one was just as dark. They followed the corridors seeing the same thing over and over again, nothing. Suddenly, a black shadow bolted across the end of the hallway in front of them.

"Tell me I'm not the only one who saw that!" Daniel pleaded.

"I saw it as well Daniel Jackson."

"Thank you Teal'c."

"Yeah so what was it?" O'Neill asked.

"Sir, do you smell that?"

"Smell what Carter?"

"That. It smells like... smoke..." The group looked around and smelled the air. "Umm, sir?"

"Yes Carter?"

"The walls are bleeding sir."

"I can see that Carter." SG-1 looked around and saw that the walls appeared to be oozing red liquid. Daniel approached the liquid and was about to touch it when the colonel pulled him back. A few seconds later, it was gone.

"Carter, what was that?"

"I don't know, a hallucination sir?"

"Are we going crazy, Carter?"

"I don't know sir."

"Let's just keep going."

SG-1 continued down the dark halls, but they were no longer silent. Every now and then they would hear something; banging, clanging, rattling. All these things seemed to have no apparent cause and whenever they were investigated, nothing conclusive was found.

SG-1 had just listened to the creaking of some old door hinges die away when a new sound filled the halls. At first it was a low growl then it got louder.

"Umm... Jack."

"I hear it Daniel."

"No. Look there!" To the right of the group twenty-five feet down the hallway they saw a pair of red, glowing eyes, floating in the darkness.

"Get ready." O'Neill whispered and everyone's weapons rose and aimed. The eyes didn't move. SG-1 stood absolutely still, waiting. The eyes also waited. Suddenly they blinked and when they reopened a second later, they were five feet closer. Even though the flashlights were aimed at the eyes, the beams seemed ineffective against the total darkness around them and failed to light the owner of the eyes. They blinked again and were another five feet closer.

"Steady." The colonel ordered. The eyes blinked again but reopened in the same spot. The instant they reopened they shot forward with a sudden hissing sound and SG-1's flashlights went out.

"Fire!" O'Neill ordered and the team fired into the darkness. The light from the firing bullets allowed them to see a bear sized black shape advance toward them. The bullets and staff blasts were ineffective and the beast kept advancing. It reached the group and with one sweeping motion of what seemed to be arms or wings it sent SG-1 flying. Each person was knocked against the walls and went down.

The beast stopped. Its eyes glanced up and then down in the darkness. Then, as suddenly as it was there, it was gone, leaving SG-1 alone in the total darkness.

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	5. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

Wow! I'm shocked! The reviews I've been getting are just fabulous! I'm glad that you are enjoying this story, I'm glad I can entertain you all because that's what I'm striving to do. Special thanks to Lalene Brooks for the interesting review and story. That is TRUE darkness! Enjoy this chapter... (sorry... the plot doesn't progress much). Enjoy!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Nightmares_**

O'Neill was the first to his feet. In the darkness he couldn't even see his hand an inch from his face. "Carter? Teal'c? Daniel?" No response. Maybe they were still out? O'Neill searched the floor for his team but found nothing. Maybe they were knocked further down the hall? O'Neill slowly walked down the hall, guiding himself by dragging his hand along the wall. He found no sign of his team. He turned the corner and the hallway was illuminated by a beam of light that shone from the crack under a door. He approached the door and turned the handle, it opened easily. He went through the door and found himself in the unmistakable golden hallways of a Ha'tak. The only comfort he had was the fact it was no longer dark. He wandered the halls and came upon a door. He opened it and went in. There, standing in front of the throne was a sight that made the colonel's heart sink.

"Charlie?" The colonel choked out. The young boy stood tall before the throne. He was silent, but stared toward the colonel with hate in his eyes. "Charlie?" The colonel tried again and began to approach his son.

"Cree!" The boy shouted. "Pitiful Tau'ri. You will fall to our awesome power, you and all you hold dear!" The boy's eyes glowed as he raised a Zat and fired. The colonel was frozen in terror and didn't even attempt to move. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was his son firing a second time.

Daniel woke with a start and looked around in the darkness. "Guys?" He called and got no response. "OK, so they left without me, how typical." He looked around for a few minutes before he decided to go look somewhere else. He wandered around for a few minutes, banging into walls before he realized he was lost. "Great, just great! Lost in my own base!" He then heard a voice behind him; a very familiar one. He followed it and soon the hallway grew brighter and he found himself in Egypt. No, he realized, he was on Abydos and the voice that was calling to him now had a form. Sha're.

"Sha're?" He moved closer to her and she smiled. He reached out to touch her but she pulled away violently.

"Why didn't you save me?" She asked.

"I tried, oh how I tried!"

"You save others, but not me?"

"I would do anything to save you!"

"You died for strangers, but you wouldn't die for me?" Daniel said nothing. "How could I have ever loved you?" She spat the words at him and turned away. She began walking into the desert and Daniel tried to follow her.

"Sha're! Sha're!" He called. Soon he'd lost sight of her as the sand whipped around him. A deadly sandstorm began with him caught in the middle. The sand began tearing at his clothes and biting at his skin. The last word to escape his lips before the pain overcame him was "Sha're".

Teal'c got to his feet quickly after the beast left and immediately searched the darkness for his team. With no luck he carefully moved through the halls. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't try to rely on that useless sense in the darkness. The moment he closed his eyes, light flooded around him. He opened his eyes and knew where he was. Apophis's throne room onboard his lead Ha'tak. He felt the weight of his first prime outfit resting on his shoulders. He moved to the window and looked out. He saw Earth below and at least ten Ha'taks above.

"Teal'c, below you lays our new home!" Apophis declared. "The Tau'ri are no more. You have done me proud." Teal'c turned around and aimed his staff weapon at his once god. He fired. The blast was absorbed by a force shield.

"Teal'c, I need you no longer." Apophis raised his hand and aimed his ribbon device.

"I die free."

"The Jaffa will never be free!" Teal'c hit the wall with such force; he didn't remember hitting the ground.

Sam awoke and the first thing she did was search her vest for the glo-stick she knew she had. She cracked it and a few minutes later the area around her was visible. She could see now and she liked what she saw. The instant her glo-stick was bright enough, all the lights at the SGC flicked back on and the day was normal again.

She was then walking down the hall which was odd because she didn't want to be walking. She wanted to search for her friends. She walked down the halls and the personnel waved to her kindly. She waved back, wait a minute, no she didn't. She wanted to but her hand wouldn't move. It was like she had no control over her body. Then she felt it, no, him. He was in control and he was laughing at her.

"Finally awake?" He said to her mind.

"What's going on?" She replied with no voice.

"I thought you would've already guessed it, seeing as you were a host to that Tok'ra."

Suddenly she knew. He was a Goa'uld and she was no longer in control of her own body. She began fighting him.

"Don't struggle, it's useless." She fought harder as she watched where they were going. They had reached the gate room; the colonel, Daniel and Teal'c were already waiting for her. They were heading out on a mission.

"Now, I will end the Tau'ri reign of destruction." He told her and she felt his hands grasping her P-90. In an instant, it was over. Her friends fell dead in front of her, her own gun smoking. Soon the airmen entered, but the Goa'uld expected that. He took control of her voice and hand and drew her pistol.

"Goodbye." He announced to Carter and everyone in hearing distance as he placed the pistol against her head. Then, he pulled the trigger.

"What the hell was that?" The colonel shouted as he awoke in the dark hallway again.

"I don't know sir." Carter's voice pierced the darkness.

"Daniel?" O'Neill asked.

"Present." Daniel replied even though he couldn't see the colonel.

"I am here as well, O'Neill." Teal'c's voice was the most controlled of the group. All the rest's trembled with the memories of what just happened.

"Did anyone else just..." The colonel didn't finish.

"Nightmare?" Carter suggested.

"Oh yeah." Daniel piped up.

"I also had a disturbing dream."

"What the hell is going on?"

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	6. Insanity?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

He he he... not much to say this time. I try my hardest to post a new chapter every few days... so you guys don't kill me for the cliffhangers. Again as always thanks for all the reviews... you guys who reviewed... did you feel the positive vibes I sent you? Anyways, enjoy!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Insanity_**

SG-1 all sat where they were in the darkness, recovering from the disturbing nightmares.

"Carter, my flashlight's dead." O'Neill finally broke the silence.

"Mine too sir." A few seconds later a quick cracking sound split the darkness.

"What was that?" Daniel said with fear seeping into his voice. Slowly the darkness began to give way to a small, but growing, green light.

"Sorry Daniel, it's just a glo-stick."

"Carter, you have glo-sticks?"

"Yes sir."

"Why don't I?"

"I have them in case of an emergency."

"I want some."

"I'll requisition some for you when this is over sir."

"Thanks Carter." The team still sat as they waited for the glo-stick to reach its full potential. Suddenly, a voice and radio static shattered the silence, causing the group to jump at the unexpected disturbance.

"Sierra Gulf thirteen to Sierra Gulf one do you copy? Over."

"Dammit! Spencer what is it?" O'Neill shouted into his radio.

"Didn't mean to scare you sir. Stonewall and I found O'Malley. The three of us are hunkered down in the security station. We found some radios on the way, just wanted to let you know we're online now."

"Thanks Spencer."

"You guys find anyone?"

"No, but that thing just attacked us."

"You alright?"

O'Neill scanned the shaken faces of his team in the dim light before answering. "We've been better."

"You guys-"

Suddenly Stonewall's voice broke into the conversation. "Sir, we've got contact!"

"Fire! Fire!"

"Spencer! Spencer! What's going on?" Gunshots sounded and SG-1 could only wait for a response.

"Colonel! It's here!" Those were the last words heard over the radio before it went dead.

"Spencer? Spencer!" No reply came over the radio.

"We've gotta go help them Jack!"

"No."

"But-"

"No! That's an order! We're too late. That thing's already taken us down once it can probably do so again."

"We can't just leave them!"

"We can, we have to in order to find everyone else."

"But..."

"Daniel, give it a rest!" Daniel shut up even though he would've kept arguing he realized the colonel hated his decision as well. "We'll keep going up." At that the team finally rose to their feet and sought out the stairs. "Keep an eye out for a supply closet, we need new flashlights."

Illuminated by the single glo-stick, the hallways were still very dark. Only a small bubble of green light encompassed the team. They found new flashlights on the next floor but nothing else exciting. Carter managed to pull apart one of the old flashlights and found that it had been knocked out by what looked like an electromagnetic pulse. That little fact just raised more questions.

They were on sub-level sixteen when things started getting exciting again; the noises started again.

"There it is again! Do you smell that sir?" Carter was sniffing the air intently. "It smells like... like something is burning."

"Carter, I don't... wait... yeah I smell it." The group sniffed the air, taking deep breaths trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. Colonel O'Neill turned around and looked toward his team. "Carter what is-"He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw his second in command's eyes glow. He grabbed his P-90 and aimed at the Goa'uld.

"Colonel? What's wrong?" Carter asked backing off.

"How long, huh? How long you been impersonating Carter?" He asked sternly.

"Sir what are you talking about? It's me."

"Jack, what's up?"

"Look at her Daniel. Look!" Daniel looked at Carter and suddenly saw her eyes glow.

"Whoa!" Daniel drew his pistol and aimed at Carter.

"Umm guys... com'on... this isn't funny." Teal'c stepped up and stood between Carter and the two men.

"Stand down O'Neill." O'Neill didn't listen to Teal'c. Daniel and O'Neill saw Carter as a Goa'uld and Teal'c dressed in his first prime outfit.

"Major Carter."

"Yeah Teal'c?"

"I believe a prudent course of action would include fleeing."

"I agree." Without a second of hesitation, Teal'c and Carter turned and rushed out of the hallway and were shocked to hear gunshots behind them. Suddenly the chase was on with Teal'c and Carter as the prey.

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I always ask... and am usually pleasantly surprised... so I ask again.

Please Review!


	7. Sanity?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

55 reviews! A new record for me! Thanks to all or you! Your input is super valuable to me! Keep on reading and I will keep on writing! Enjoy!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Sanity?_**

"In here Teal'c." Carter and Teal'c ducked into a storage room and locked the door. Then they turned off their flashlights and waited. They heard as the footsteps of the colonel and Daniel went by.

"What's going on?" Carter asked, although more to herself than Teal'c.

"I am unsure." Teal'c answered.

"Maybe that smell?" Teal'c couldn't see the major in the darkness but he could easily assume her face would reflect her deep thought. "That's it! Teal'c last time we smelled that we all saw the walls bleeding."

"Indeed."

"We must've been hallucinating! That smell must've triggered it! All we need is..." Carter trailed off and she turned on her flashlight and began searching the storage room. "Ah ha!" She pulled four gas masks out of a hidden box. "Now all we need to do is get one on Daniel and the colonel." Carter said as she secured hers. "Teal'c, did you see the bleeding walls?"

"Indeed."

"Then you should wear one too." With that, Carter and Teal'c left the storage room and searched for their colleagues. They found Daniel first, huddled in a corner, acting much like O'Malley had been.

"Daniel?" Carter asked, and got no response other then some phrases in some other language. "Daniel, I'm gonna put this gas mask on you." He nodded. After about five minutes of the purified breathing, Daniel's sanity returned to him.

"Whoa... that was strange."

"What'd you see?"

"Well, your eyes were glowing like a Goa'uld's." Carter cringed at the memory of her dream. "And Teal'c was dressed in his old first prime outfit." Teal'c raised an eyebrow, the only sign that he too was distressed about the resemblance to his nightmare.

"Where's the colonel?"

"We separated a few minutes ago..."

"Let's find him." The three sane members of SG-1 wandered the halls. They searched everywhere they could on that floor, but it was the colonel who found them. He snuck up behind them using his black ops learned stealth and had Carter in a choke-hold with a pistol to her head before Teal'c could even turn around.

"Drop your weapons or your god dies! Drop'em!" Teal'c and Daniel complied.

"Sir, listen to me. You're hallucinating!" Carter choked out through her commanding officer's tight hold.

"Stop lying! I saw your eyes glow!" He tightened his grip. "When huh? When!" The colonel paused and thought back to their last mission a week ago. "When she left to take rock samples? You're good, but not that good." His finger tightened on the trigger.

"Jack! Stop! It's Sam! You're seeing things! I was too!" Daniel pleaded.

"He is correct O'Neill." Teal'c tried.

"No! No! No! I'm gonna get rid of this snake here and now! She'd want it that way."

"Sir, you've got to fight this! It's still me! Fight it!" Carter pleaded.

"Carter?" O'Neill whispered after a few seconds.

"Yes sir, it's me. Please put the gun down." He lowered the gun and backed off. Carter then carefully approached him and switched his pistol for a gas mask which he quickly put on. The group waited in silence until the colonel roughly shook his head.

"I think we're starting to figure out what happened to O'Malley."

"Sir? You back with us?"

"Yeah, but I would've staked my life on you being a Goa'uld." Carter cringed. "Com'on, we gotta find everyone else. If they've been breathing this stuff, they might be in bad shape." With that, SG-1 continued upward.

They reached the door leading to sub-level fifteen and found it blasted open. After securing the area, they went up. When they reached the next level they finally saw something new, but they didn't like it. Sub-level fifteen was devastated. Throughout all the halls there were shell casings and debris littering most of the floor area and blast damage on many of the walls.

"Guess you were right Carter, they headed up. It looks like another stand was made here." O'Neill said as he inspected the damage.

"It also looks like they pulled back from here as well." Carter added.

"Why would you say that, Sam?" Daniel asked.

"There isn't anything useful left behind; no ammunition, no weapons, no grenades." Carter explained.

"It looks like we might find answers one level up." O'Neill said and trudged a path through the debris. They began to make their way to the next and hopefully last stairwell when they spotted the shadow darting in front of them again. A few minutes later it appeared behind them. It seemed to be circling them, but not attacking nor making any strange noises. When they were closing in on the stairs, the growling began again, only this time it growled words.

"Tau'riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." The shadows seemed to growl.

"Whatever's out there, please talk to us."

"Daniel! We don't need to talk to it. We need to kill it!" O'Neill scolded.

"Fear... me..." The voice seemed to come from everywhere and pinpointing it was useless.

"Let's head to the stairs." The colonel said and quickly took point.

"Carter..." The shadows whispered.

"Carter, don't listen to it." Her commanding officer ordered.

"Right, sir." They reached the door to the stairs and found it was also blown open. They headed in and began to climb when the voice started laughing.

"Just keep going." O'Neill ordered. When they had reached sub-level fourteen, the laughing died away. They pushed open the door and headed out into the halls hoping this level would provide them with the answers they so desperately sought.

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Do I even have to ask anymore? You guys are so generous! Thank you in advance for the reviews!


	8. Vanguard of Destruction

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

Here it is! The chapter you've all been waiting for! Answers! Finally! Not much left. I am continually awed by how well this story had been received. Thank you. Without further ado, chapter 8. Enjoy!

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Vanguard of Destruction_**

Sub-level fourteen was also in shambles, only now the floor was littered with more than just shell casings. Full magazines of ammunition and loaded weapons were also scattered about. But there was still no sign of any SGC personnel.

The team carefully made their way down the hallways before finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel... literally. At the far end of the corridors, a soft blue light was emanating from the doorway. After a few quick hand signals from the colonel the team entered a standard two-by-two assault position and advanced on the door. When they reached the door, O'Neill and Daniel stood on one side and Carter and Teal'c stood on the other. After a silent count to three, they sprung around the corner and took in what they saw.

The room was once a half empty storage room but now it appeared to be a morgue. The walls were covered in sticky blue goo and entangled in that goo were SGC personnel. All four walls and the ceiling were occupied with the goo and soldiers. The blue goo gave off a faint bioluminescent glow which lit the room. In the center of the room was a strange apparatus. It appeared to be a meter high column of metal debris. On top of the column was a metal sphere which appeared to have been bent and twisted into shape. The goo thinly covered the floor as well, but was heaped around the foot of the apparatus.

Carter, the scientist she is, immediately put a plastic glove from her pocket on and went to check on some of the nearest personnel. O'Neill took the barrel of his P-90 and poked the goo, and then he pulled his weapon back and saw the goo stuck to his gun.

"Are they alive, Carter?" O'Neill asked as he tried to wipe the goo from his gun.

"They're cold sir, but they have a pulse." Carter said as she felt the nearest unconscious airmen's neck. Then she removed her hand and a wad of goo came with it making it difficult for her to pull her hand away.

"Any idea what this stuff is?" The colonel asked.

"It seems to be a very mucilaginous compound with the texture and consistency of mucus." Carter stated as she stared at her hand.

"In English?" O'Neill asked a little annoyed.

"It feels like snot sir."

"Oh." After a second of hesitation, the colonel continued. "How do you know what snot feels like Carter?"

"Sir, I'm a scientist. It's my job to know."

"Oh." O'Neill paused. "Let's get our people down." He reached toward the closest officer.

"Wait sir!" Carter spoke up. The colonel stopped. "That might not be a good idea. Not until we know what's happened to them. O'Neill grudgingly accepted that advice and approached the apparatus in the center of the room. "Any idea what this does?" He poked the sphere with the sticky barrel of his gun. Carter approached it and looked down at the sphere.

"Not yet sir... Wait a minute! These are parts from the backup power generator!"

"Carter, you and Daniel figure out what that thing does. Teal'c and I will make sure that creature doesn't sneak up on us." Teal'c and O'Neill waited by the door as Carter explored the strange device.

About ten minutes later, Carter called her commanding officer back.

"Sir, best I can tell this... machine is feeding off the bio-thermal energy of our people stuck in the goo."

"You figured that out by just looking at it?" The colonel wondered.

"Well sir, the device is hot, the people are cold. There are also tiny fibers linking the machine to the goo to the people. Also-"

"Sorry I asked." O'Neill broke in. "So, how do we... disconnect our people?"

"Well, we shut down the machine."

"How do we do that?"

"Umm... destroy it."

"Destroy it?"

"Yes sir."

"So I just... shoot it?"

"Yes sir." The colonel grinned at the fact he got to destroy something. SG-1 backed up and he let loose on the device. It sparked and cracked and finally toppled over. Then the goo started to dim slowly.

"Is that it?" Daniel asked but before a member of SG-1 could respond a chorus of gasps filled the room as the airmen regained consciousness. Before SG-1 could go to help their allies a growling shriek pierced the still air and the beast roared into the room. It forced its way through the small doorway and stood high on its back legs in the dying light of the goo. The beast was covered in short black fur. It stood as big as a grizzly bear but was much slimmer. Both its hands and feet were tipped with sharp, curved claws that were not even its deadliest weapon. From its back rose a set of bat-shaped but black feathered wings that were tipped with claws. Its face was right out of a horror movie. Big red eyes sat above a wolf-like snout. In its mouth were a hundred razor sharp teeth and two long fangs. That was the organic parts. In seemingly random places on the creature there were metal implants and tubes. There was one on the side of its head as well as its back and its right elbow and left shoulder were metal. There were also tubes connecting the back of its head to the metal panel on its back. The red eyes locked onto SG-1 and SG-1 aimed their weapons at the beast.

"Pitiful Tau'ri...." The beast growled. "You cannot stop me. I will take back what belongs to my creators."

"What belongs to your creators?" Daniel said taking a tentative step forward to try and reason with the beast.

"This world; it is their home."

Daniel looked toward his team, then back to the beast. "Yes, many cultures and peoples out in the universe once lived here."

"My creators want it back!" The beast bore its teeth.

"That's not going to happen without a fight." O'Neill added.

"I know." The beast smiled a devilish smirk that would strike fear into any heart, but SG-1 stood firm. "That's why I'm here."

"You're here to fight us?" Daniel tried to keep the conversation with the beast going so they could learn as much as they could.

"No... I am the vanguard of destruction. I learn."

"What are you learning?

"A strange race you are." The beast cocked its head and lowered its stance. "Physical pain does not scare you. You fear... feelings. Regret, guilt, grief, loss..." the beast trailed off.

"You're learning our fears?" Daniel asked.

"How better to destroy your culture?" The beast paused and looked at the colonel. "Like Charlie." Suddenly before their very eyes the beast seemed to mutate and change into a perfect image of the boy. Whether it was real or in their minds, they didn't know.

"By knowing, we can conquer." The beast said in the sweet voice of a child. O'Neill raised his gun. "You cannot shoot me." The colonel hesitated. "Besides, your weights of metal propelled by that rudimentary weapon are useless against me." The child sighed. "But you have cut off my energy supply. It will take me time to fix. Rather then add you to them so I can learn your fears and feed off your energy, I will have to kill you." The sound of waking airmen was the only sound in the room as the beast approached the group, still in the form of Charlie. "Prepare to die."

O'Neill was the first to lock onto the beast. "You're not Charlie!" He fired and the beast shrieked.

"You will die first!" The boy lunged at the colonel and changed back into the beast in the process. The colonel dodged and rolled toward the door.

"Carter, take care of our people! I got him!" O'Neill rushed out the door and the beast followed with such speed and ferocity that it slid into the wall, unable to make the sudden turn to follow its prey. The colonel ran. He ran past at least six other glowing rooms as he headed for the stairs. He had one chance to kill this beast, he just hoped he'd stay alive long enough to find what he needed.

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	9. Weapon of Salvation

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

Whoo... again... not much to say... Thanks for reviewing and reading. Here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy.

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Weapon of Salvation_**

The colonel raced through the halls as fast as he could. He knew that anything on four legs was potentially faster than anything on two, and this beast was no exception. It would have caught him numerous times except for the fact that he knew this base like the back of his hand... wait... bad cliché... he knew the base very well and just when the beast got close, the colonel would make some sudden turn and evade the encroaching monster. He ran with a destination in mind while the beast only ran to make the kill. O'Neill used his P-90 sparingly, only to distract the beast when he had to open a door or go down stairs. His weapon did nothing but irritate the monster.

The beast was not thinking clearly. His lust for this Tau'ri who defied him and his tactics was infuriating. He ran to catch his prey. Had he been thinking he would have activated an electromagnetic pulse to knock out the colonel's flashlight or excreted his hallucinogenic mist into the air. But he didn't think even though he was programmed to learn. This man intrigued him, how he denied his fears and deepest turmoil. The beast hunted. It was better to kill this annoyance than to study it.

The colonel turned a sharp corner and the beast's claws couldn't grip the smooth floor so he skidded into the mangled pipes that lined the wall. The pipes jabbed into his side and he let out a terrifying shriek, and then he continued to chase the colonel with new conviction.

Up on level fourteen, Carter, Teal'c and Daniel had just finished pulling General Hammond and four other officers off the gooey walls. Before the rescuers could confer with the rescuees and loud shriek reverberated off everything metal in the base. Carter glanced toward her team with a worried look on her face, and then reached for her radio.

"Carter to O'Neill; come in sir."

After a few quiet seconds, the colonel broke onto the radio. His voice was frantic, his breath short and the crashing of the beast behind him nearly overpowered his voice. "Carter, I'm still alive!"

"Sir, where are you?" Carter intently asked, hoping she could aid her commanding officer.

"Level nineteen!" He shouted and then uttered some profanity after a loud bang was heard.

"Colonel?" No response. "Colonel!" Carter shouted.

"I'm here!" He replied.

"What's the plan sir?"

"Infirmary." Carter simply looked toward her team, wondering what that one word meant. Daniel was the first to answer; he grabbed his radio and spoke to his friend.

"Jack! That's suicide!"

"Happy thoughts, Danny-boy!" O'Neill panted. "O'Neill out!"

"Daniel?" Carter asked.

"I'll explain on the way! Com'on!" Daniel rushed from the room, Carter gave quick instructions to the five free officers on how to free the rest and then she and Teal'c followed Daniel.

Colonel O'Neill ran flat out towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. He heard the beast gaining but his clip was empty and he didn't have time to reload, his only chance was to reach the stairs. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and then felt the sting of an open wound. He sped up to his highest speed and reached the stairs. He gained a few extra minutes at the bottom. The stairway was small and the beast was big. The colonel caught his breath and mapped out his route.

After an exhausting run and a few new scars the colonel reached the infirmary. It was the same as it was when Daniel and he had visited it at the beginning of this adventure. He scanned the room; overturned beds, scattered debris and a weapons cache. Then he saw what he was looking for; the rocket launcher sitting in the middle of the room, already loaded. He heard a noise behind him and dove for the weapon. While he was in midair, the beast flapped its wings with massive force and sent the colonel sailing past his target and crashing into an overturned bed, luckily he hit the soft side but it hurt anyways. There they were, both equal distances from the colonel's weapon of salvation. The colonel lay on his side on the floor unsure whether to risk another dive or bide his time. The beast stood in all its hideous glory by the doorway, wings stretched to the max in the confined space, drool dripping through its numerous teeth and claws tense with anticipation.

The beast spoke first. "You do not fear me or any other."

"Fer cryin' out loud! You're just a winged rat!" The beast roared at this and then regained its senses.

"Before I kill you, I will teach you fear!" The beast lunged forward aided by its wings and the colonel lunged as well. The beast dove high and the colonel dove low, grabbing the rocket launcher as he rolled past it. They both came to a stop on opposite sides of the room. Still sitting on the ground, the colonel quickly got his back against the wall and the beast turned to face him. The colonel raised the rocket launcher and aimed right at the beast.

"Fear this!" The colonel said and pulled the trigger. The rocket hit the beast square in the chest and obliterated it from existence leaving only its dying shriek and charred remains as a sign it had ever been there. The side effects of the blast were that the rocket's blast radius was too large and encompassed a part of the ceiling, causing structural damage. The immediate ceiling gave way and debris rained down on the colonel. His last thought before a large piece of concrete dislodged itself from the ceiling above him was: "Daniel was right".

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It's almost over! Please review!


	10. Final Thought

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything connected to them. I only own the plot.

It's over. This is the last chapter. Finally! I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, you made this story a success and I thank you. This chapter is dedicated to everyone out there who enjoyed any part of this story. I enjoyed it all, because of you. Thank you. Now all I need is a new idea so I can hopefully thrill you guys again! Well, enjoy this last chapter.

SG-1 returns to the safety of the SGC to find something is wrong. The power is out, the gate room is a mess and everyone is missing.

**_Empty Halls: Final Thought_**

Carter, Teal'c and Daniel heard the blast when they were two floors above. They raced down the last sets of stairs and reached the infirmary to find it unrecognizable. The floor was heaped with concrete pieces, the walls were charred black and it looked as though the floor of the level above would fall through at any moment. The room was illuminated by a few small fires that glowed using whatever they could find as fuel.

Carter carefully made her way through the doorway and called out. "Colonel!" Her voice was drowned out by the snapping and popping of a broken power line. She called again and her voice seemed to trigger another piece of concrete to fall to the floor. The whole team entered the room and began scanning the debris. Finally a groan that could only be the colonel was emitted from a pile of concrete. Teal'c made his way to the pile first and quickly removed the pieces. The last and largest piece was too heavy for him to move so he shoved the end of his staff weapon under it and using another piece of concrete as the fulcrum, levered the piece up and Carter and Daniel grabbed the colonel's shoulders and pulled him out. Teal'c then let the piece fall again.

"Sir, are you OK?" Carter asked as she removed his gas mask so he could breathe easier. The colonel continued to lie on his back with his eyes closed. He was bruised and battered and his uniform torn in many places but he appeared to be in decent shape. There were no broken bones anyways, maybe a few cracked ribs and a concussion, nothing new to the colonel.

"I need a vacation." The colonel finally muttered.

"Yes sir."

"Carter, next time, let's use plan B."

"Yes sir."

"O'Neill, what became of the creature?" Teal'c asked after checking around for any danger. The colonel simply pointed over his head to the far wall. By the doorway remained a few smouldering piles of whatever and a few small remnants of the creature.

"That would appear to be a very effective weapon O'Neill." Teal'c commented.

"Well." The colonel sighed. "Let's go help our people. Something tells me the showers are going to be pretty busy for the next few hours." With the nimbleness of someone half his age, the colonel leapt to his feet and shook the dirt from his tattered uniform. "What are you waiting for?" The colonel asked from the doorway. "I'd suggest a written invitation... but you know how much I hate clichés." The colonel then disappeared from the doorway. Sometimes his ability to bounce back from anything shocked the rest of SG-1, but he was their colonel, and even the Asgaard recognized his obvious abilities.

A few hours later SG-1 and General Hammond were standing in the control room which was again buzzing with life and power. Siler had hooked up portable generators to the primary systems and now things were getting back to normal. The infirmary was out of commission however, and would be for a long while.

"General, care to fill in a few blanks for us?" The colonel asked. "Like how did that thing get through the Iris?"

"We had an 'off-world activation' and no IDC. Two objects hit the iris before a pulse was sent that disrupted our computer equipment. Then that thing came through." Hammond began. "It came through the gate and our bullets did nothing. It pried open the security door and was off into the halls." There was a pause as the general conferred with a tech behind him. "People started seeing things, slowly going crazy, and then the power went out. The men started turning on each other."

"And yet there was no loss of life?" Carter asked.

"No, before people actually pulled the trigger something would come over them and they would just turn and run away."

"That makes sense." Daniel began. "It couldn't learn from us if we were all dead."

"People started disappearing, so we set up a defense on level fifteen, but we never even saw it coming." The general paused and signed a report. "When you were due back, we sent a team down to meet you, lead by Captain O'Malley."

"I just talked to O'Malley. He said he made it to the control room, and held it for about half an hour before that thing came after him. He said when he was left alone he hid in security station alpha and doesn't remember anything else." Daniel chimed in.

"That would explain the hot coffee." Carter added. Suddenly the 'off-world activation' alarms sounded; all available soldiers rushing into the gate room.

"Sir, receiving IDC. IDC identified. It's one of us." Davis said from his chair.

"Open the Iris." The Iris swirled open at the general's order. Seconds later Major Spencer walked through, followed by Lieutenant Stonewall and the other two members of SG-13. SG-1 stood flabbergasted in the control room.

"Welcome back SG-13." The general announced over the intercom.

"Looks like we missed some fun." Major Spencer said as he motioned to the beat up gate room then he and his team headed to get cleaned up.

"Wait a minute. SG-13 is just returning now?" O'Neill asked.

"Yes sir, and right on time." Davis answered from his seat.

"Then who did we..." The colonel looked toward his team.

"A hallucination maybe?" Carter suggested. The team stood contemplating in the control room. They were beginning to wonder how much of their recent adventure was real, and how much was only in their minds.

"Wait a minute! Why would that thing create a hallucination of SG-13? They helped us!"

"Did they colonel?" The major asked. "They filled in a few blanks, gave us an entity to fear and in the end when we heard them get taken out over the radio, it stirred up some unpleasant emotions."

"So it was all a ploy? Damn that thing was thorough!" The colonel added.

"So how much was real?" Daniel asked quietly.

"We can assume the creature was because the goo still remains and so do some... pieces of the creature." Carter answered.

"How much else?" O'Neill asked.

"We may never know."

"Maybe we don't want to." The colonel replied, very philosophically causing a look from his team. He however just stared out toward the Stargate, then suddenly turned toward the general. "General, I guess now's as good a time as any to report on our most recent mission. Well... most recent actual mission." He said with a smirk. The rest of the team finally remembered they had brokered a deal for raw trinium.

"Sounds good. Briefing room in ten minutes." Hammond, Daniel and Teal'c left the control room but the colonel stopped the major.

"Yes sir?"

"Carter... about those glo-sticks..."

"I remember sir." Carter offered him one of her trademark smiles.

"Oh... just makin' sure. Thanks." And with that, they headed to the briefing room.

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And the scene fades out to the credits we all know and hate (because they mean the show's over!).

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